PILOT SNAPSHOT |
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount: $200,000 |
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Profile: The Pilot targets a 136-acre oceanfront corridor designated as a Redevelopment Zone for mixed-use redevelopment.
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BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Long Branch for a Brownfields Pilot.
The City (population 32,000) is an urban community located in
central New Jersey. Long Branch has been a beach resort for 150
years. Beach erosion, a fire that destroyed the amusement park
and fishing pier, increased competition from tourist centers to
the south, and the loss of retail establishments have reduced
the City's economic vitality. Despite population growth in surrounding
Monmouth County, the population of Long Branch has declined and
unemployment is at 9.6%. Falling real estate values, deteriorating
properties, and known contaminated sites are contributing to a
downward cycle of urban decline.
The Pilot will focus on the City's Redevelopment Zone, a 136-acre
oceanfront corridor. The City has identified 14 sites in or adjacent
to the zone that are known to be contaminated, and an additional
15 sites that are suspected to be contaminated. Many of the City's
minority residents live adjacent to the Redevelopment Zone. With
State assistance and community support, the City has prepared
a Redevelopment Zone Master Plan. The City has also negotiated
a streamlined construction review process with the State. These
actions have attracted developers, but the unknown costs of brownfields
cleanups are a major deterrent to the redevelopment process.
OBJECTIVES
Long Branch plans to implement an integrated program of community involvement
and cleanup and redevelopment planning, which will serve to revitalize
the City. Pilot funds will be used to prepare an inventory of
brownfields in the Redevelopment Zone, enhance the involvement
of existing community organizations, conduct assessments at selected
sites, and prepare cleanup plans for assessed sites. The City
has also been designated by the Governor's Urban Coordinating
Council as a Neighborhood Empowerment Zone, which will enable
coordinated delivery of State services through approved neighborhood-based
plans.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
- Identifying brownfields and preparing an inventory of brownfields in the Redevelopment Zone;
- Involving the community in the prioritization of brownfields and redevelopment planning;
- Performing preliminary assessments and site investigations at selected sites; and
- Preparing cleanup plans for assessed sites.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
CONTACTS:
City of Long Branch
(732) 222-7000
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 2
(212) 637-4314
Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/brownfields/
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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